More Articles by Rick Laezman

In the quest for a more energy-efficient future, no detail gets overlooked. As part of the Obama administration’s strategy for increasing efficiency and reducing the cost of energy in America, the Department of Energy (DOE) r...

It’s almost an axiom that new technologies often get their start in the military. Take the Internet. In Maine, a former naval facility will become a center for innovation. The former Brunswick Naval Air Station, which the Nav...

In the years that renewable power has been fighting for market competitiveness, overcoming the high capital costs compared to conventional energy sources has always been the big challenge. Now, for at least one form of renewa...

Offshore wind power has generated its fair share of buzz in recent years as a vast, untapped well of renewable power. Most of that publicity reflects the controversy surrounding offshore development proposed for the Atlantic...

Already one of the nation’s wind power leaders, Iowa has taken another step to harness its vast renewable resource. Earlier this year, the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) certified three counties—Floyd, Johnson and Linn—as “Small...

Most utility reserve margins are adequate to meet peak demands. That is the assessment of the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) as the nation has hit the summer months in which heat can strain supplies. Even in...

Strict regulations to limit the toxic air emissions from coal-fired plants in the United States are working. Many utilities striving to meet these tighter standards are finding they can’t afford the high costs of upgrades and...

While it’s good news for the air we breathe, the accelerating pace at which coal-fired power plants are being retired has a flip side. When coal-fired plants go offline, they take a major volume of generating capacity with th...

For renewable power to reach complete penetration into mainstream markets, all the relevant players, including customers, government agencies, private industry and utilities must fully participate. When it comes to solar powe...

Despite the rhetoric, popular sentiment and public policies favoring green power, it may be surprising to realize that alternative-energy industries are still the underdog in the transformation of how we generate and consume...

Bolstering its reputation as an energy trendsetter and, at the same time, putting a positive spin on the narrative of one of the darkest chapters in its history, the Golden State has announced a major investment in electric v...

Like all renewables, photovoltaics (PVs) are in a constant state of innovation. Researchers are forever striving for breakthroughs in materials and productivity to help them lower costs and chip away at the historical advanta...